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The Department of Justice announced the arrest this week of Brian Cole, the suspect accused of leaving pipe bombs outside the DNC and RNC headquarters on Jan. 5, 2021, a development the Biden DOJ is framing as one of its “most powerful” wins in the January 6 era. Conservatives rightly welcome any accountability for violent acts, but we should also demand clarity about how and why this case—brought after years of scrutiny—suddenly becomes a headline-winning prosecution.
As reputable legal commentator Jonathan Turley noted on Fox, the feds themselves admitted this case was “built from old bricks,” saying they hadn’t found any new evidence and that the key lead was available for years but was overlooked. That admission raises uncomfortable questions about priorities and competence at the agencies tasked with protecting Americans, especially when so many other leads and crimes have languished.
Turley didn’t mince words: he warned the DOJ “believes in overkill” and will pile on charges “everything short of ripping a label off a mattress” if the prosecutors can find legal footing. From a conservative standpoint, that description of prosecutorial enthusiasm should set off alarm bells—justice must be about proportionate punishment and proof, not headline-grabbing excess.
The FBI has put out surveillance video and technical details about the devices—describing the bombs as 1×8-inch threaded galvanized pipes with kitchen timers and homemade black powder—details that underscore the gravity of the alleged crime and why investigators took it seriously. Still, seriousness does not excuse turning a careful investigation into a spectacle of piling on charges for political effect.
This arrest follows a multi-year probe and what officials say was a Biden-era review of Jan. 6 cases, which makes the timing and messaging all the more important to scrutinize. If the evidence really was “there all along,” as federal officials suggested, we deserve to know why previous administrations supposedly missed it and whether this is selective enforcement playing to a political crowd.
Americans who believe in both law and liberty should demand two things at once: that violent offenders face real consequences, and that the Justice Department apply the law evenly and without theatrical excess. When prosecutors treat cases as opportunities to amass charges for maximum headlines, they erode faith in the system and hand the left its favorite talking point about partisan justice.
Congressional oversight and a free press must now do their jobs—ask the hard questions, follow the paper trail, and ensure the accused gets a fair day in court rather than a stacked indictment designed to intimidate. Patriots can and should stand for tough penalties for genuine violent crimes while refusing to accept weaponized prosecutions dressed up as righteous law enforcement.
